Green Infrastructure to Combat Climate Change: A Framework for ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

5 Managing Riverine Flooding River flooding can have severe negative impacts: damaging property, affecting health and well-being, and having significant economic costs. With more extreme rainfall events anticipated with climate change we are likely to experience increased flooding. Whilst flooding cannot be wholly prevented, its impacts can be reduced. Green infrastructure helps to manage river flooding by reducing the volume of runoff (e.g. by intercepting rain, and providing storage areas to hold water in the catchment and on floodplains), by promoting water infiltration into the soil and slowing runoff to streams, and by delaying the downstream passage of flood flows (and hence the timing of peak flows) 38 . Managing riverine flooding is closely linked to managing surface water (Section 2). For other good practice see: This guide for developers from the Environment Agency provides a number of good practice examples of managing flooding www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Leisure/1_ GETH1106BLNE-e-e(1).pdf This report reviews a number of catchment scale river restoration projects in the UK www.therrc.co.uk/pdf/Publications/Catchment_report_Jan05.pdf Restoration of the River Quaggy in Sutcliffe Park, Greenwich Case Study 8 (Pickering, North Yorkshire) Slowing the Flow This project is exploring flood management which works with nature to store more water in the landscape and slow its passage downstream. It is expected to reduce the frequency of floods, and deliver benefits to the local environment and community. Landscape management measures employed throughout the catchment include constructing low level bunds, planting trees (especially along streams and in the floodplain), and restoring woody debris dams and wetlands. www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-7YML5R The London Rivers Action Plan is a good example of a plan to take forward river restoration www.therrc.co.uk/lrap/lplan.pdf Centenary Riverside Wetland Nature Park in Rotherham www.wildscapes.eu/our-projects/all-projects/centenary-riversidewetland-nature-park.html 38. Thomas and Nisbet (2006). An assessment of the impact of floodplain woodland on flood flows. Forest Research. Water and Environment Journal. 21, 114–126; Handley and Gill (2009). Woodlands helping society to adapt. In Read et al (2009) Combating climate change: a role for UK forests. www. tsoshop.co.uk/gempdf/Climate_Change_Main_Report.pdf; Broadmeadow and Nisbet (2010). Opportunity Mapping for Woodland to Reduce Flooding in the River Derwent, Cumbria. Forest Research. www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/Derwent_ flooding_final_report_2010.pdf/$FILE/Derwent_flooding_final_report_2010. pdf; Woodland Trust (2008). Woodland actions for biodiversity and their role in water management. www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/pdf/ woodswater26_03-08.pdf Case Study 9 (London) River Quaggy This river was de-culverted as part of a flood management scheme. This has created a natural, meandering, wildlife-rich feature in Sutcliffe Park, Greenwich which can be temporarily flooded (and closed to the public). This reduces the downstream flood risk to Lewisham town centre. Since restoration visits to the park have increased by 73%. Downstream, in a denser urban area, the river banks have been re-naturalised at Chinbrook Meadows, which helps to protect a new housing development from flooding. www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/ Business/casestudyrecreation_1514776.pdf 32
5. Actions for managing riverine flooding P D N Partner Mechanism Service a. Where possible, use land in areas at risk of flooding (see Map 5 or local data) as open space and make provision for temporary water storage within it. Use the sequential test of Planning Policy Statement 25 to decide on the most appropriate land uses in flood risk areas, along with flood sensitive design. Local Authorities Environment Agency Land Owners and Managers Developers Local Development Frameworks Neighbourhood, Parish and Town Plans Strategic Flood Risk Assessments Catchment Flood Management Plans Masterplans Ecological Networks and Restoration Zones Temps Travel Species Coastal flood Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Areas NW River Basin Management Plan b. Encourage appropriate land use and management, including agricultural practices, in the upper catchments of rivers to reduce flood risk (Map 5 or local data) and impacts of spate flows, reduce soil erosion (Map 10 or local data) and maintain base flows to rivers. This will include intercepting, holding, and infiltrating water upstream through peatland restoration, wetland creation, tree and woodland creation (targeted to buffers around riverbanks and floodplains, bare and eroding mineral soils, and field margins), and use of techniques such as willow spilling, where appropriate (Case Studies 7, 8 and 17). Continued monitoring of programmes to determine their effectiveness. This will require significant cross-boundary working and consultation with the Environment Agency to ensure that natural river processes are not impacted and activity helps to achieve Good Ecological Status under the Water Framework Directive. Potentially develop mechanisms to financially link downstream development with upstream flood management activities, including land acquisition where desirable. Environment Agency Forestry Commission Woodland Initiatives Local Authorities Land Owners and Managers Woodland Trust Natural England United Utilities National Parks Authorities Landscape Partnerships AONBs Farmers FWAG National Farmers’ Union Woodland Initiatives BTCV Catchment Flood Management Plans Local Biodiversity Action Plans Local Development Frameworks CIL, S106, Planning Conditions Neighbourhood, Parish and Town Plans Environmental Stewardship and EWGS Catchment Sensitive Farming Ecological Networks and Restoration Zones Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Areas Sub-Regional GI Frameworks NW River Basin Management Plan SCaMP Management Plans Peatland Projects MOREwoods Single Payment Scheme Big Tree Plant Surface water Carbon Food Species Erosion Water resources c. Identify and prioritise river stretches for rehabilitation and restoration (e.g. reconnecting rivers to their floodplains). Take opportunities to de-culvert and re-naturalise rivers to provide space for water as well as wildlife, including floodplain forestry, wet meadows, and saltmarsh (Case Studies 9 and 19). Environment Agency Forestry Commission Developers Local Authorities Woodland Initiatives Local Development Frameworks Neighbourhood, Parish and Town Plans Ecological Networks and Restoration Zones Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Areas Environmental Stewardship and EWGS Water Framework Directive Species Water resources NW River Basin Management Plan Also see actions 1a-j, 2a-e, 3d, 4a-b, 6b, 7a, 9b, 10a-b, 12a, and 13b which deliver this service. 33
Page 1: Green Infrastructure to Combat Clim
Page 4 and 5: 4 Photo: McCoy Wynne
Page 8 and 9: 8 Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/Jpique
Page 12 and 13: Developing the Framework for Action
Page 14 and 15: Delivering the Framework for Action
Page 16 and 17: The Actions The following sub-secti
Page 18 and 19: Case Study 1 (North West of England
Page 20 and 21: 1. Overarching actions P D N Partne
Page 22 and 23: dummy_footnote_ 28 _to_correct_numb
Page 24 and 25: 2. Actions for managing surface wat
Page 26 and 27: 3 Managing High Temperatures Increa
Page 28 and 29: Map 3. Urban areas and concentratio
Page 30 and 31: 4. Actions for carbon storage & seq
Page 34 and 35: Map 5. Flood zones in relation to C
Page 36 and 37: 6. Actions for food production P D
Page 38 and 39: Local timber in The Mersey Forest (
Page 40 and 41: 8 Providing Low Carbon Fuels Replac
Page 42 and 43: Map 7. Potential miscanthus and sho
Page 44 and 45: 9. Actions for reducing the need to
Page 46 and 47: 10. Actions for helping other speci
Page 48 and 49: Dream sculpture at Sutton Manor (Ph
Page 50 and 51: Map 9. Capacity of the landscape to
Page 52 and 53: 12. Actions for reducing soil erosi
Page 54 and 55: Water butts supplied in Knowsley to
Page 56 and 57: Dune system 14 Managing Coastal Flo
Page 58: Map 11. Flood zone 2 and habitats t
Page 61 and 62: Code for Sustainable Homes (2010):
Page 63 and 64: Organisations Shaping the Framework

Green Infrastructure to Combat Climate Change: A Framework for ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?